Page 22 - Flathead Beacon // 12.31.14

22 | DECEMBER 31, 2014 YEAR IN NEWS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS 2014 IN REVIEW By BEACON STAFF
More Oil, Late Trains: The rise of oil trains on BNSF Railway’s lines through Montana caused big problems for Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train, which celebrated its 85th anniversary in June. That same month, the eastbound Empire Builder, train No. 8, had a zero percent on-time rate. In hopes of keeping the train on time, Amtrak adjusted the schedule in April, but now it arrives in Whitefish well before dawn and long after dusk, much to the chagrin of area businesses. Recently, Amtrak announced the Empire Builder would return to its old schedule.
Xanterra Sets Up Shop: Virtually overnight, Xan- terra Parks & Resorts became one of the most impor- tant employers in the valley when it landed the Gla- cier National Park’s concessions contract in January. The 16-year, multi-million dollar contract includes the operation of all hospitality services within the park. In its first year as the concessioner, the Colo- rado-based company made some big investments, including establishing its headquarters near down- town Columbia Falls.
EPA Cleanup Continues: Fifteen years after des- ignating Libby the largest Superfund site in Ameri- can history because of a deadly asbestos contami- nation, the Environmental Protection Agency says that its cleanup efforts in Lincoln County are work- ing. In December, the federal agency released its long-awaited human health assessment that states that the air around the community is 100,000 times cleaner than it was when the mine was running. Next year the EPA is expected to release its final record of decision that will serve as a roadmap for the rest of the cleanup.
The Rise and Fall of John Walsh: Democrats thought they had the perfect candidate in John Walsh, a seasoned military man who had the power of incumbency when Gov. Steve Bullock appointed him to the U.S. Senate in February. But in July, the New York Times published a story saying he had pla- giarized a paper while at the U.S. Army War College in 2007. Within a few weeks, Walsh dropped out of the race against Congressman Steve Daines and was replaced by political newcomer Amanda Curtis, who lost to Daines in the November election.
Murder in Glacier Park: Jordan Graham, the 23-year-old woman who pushed her husband of eight days off a cliff in Glacier National Park in 2013 was sentenced to 30 years in prison in March. In October her lawyers filed an appeal arguing that federal pros- ecutors distorted and withheld evidence in order to convince the jury that Graham had planned to mur- der Cody Lee Johnson. Federal prosecutors are now preparing a response before the Ninth District Court of Appeals can issue a ruling or allow for oral argu- ments.
Lincoln County Commission Shakeup: An elec- tion and a resignation changed the makeup of the Lincoln County Commission this year. On June 3, incumbent and commission chairman Tony Berget, who had served on the board for six years, was best- ed in the primary election. Then the day after the election, Commissioner Ron Downey announced he would be stepping down for health reasons. In Au- gust Gregory Larson was selected to represent Troy
2014
BY THE NUMBERS
-21
Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit in Kalispell on Feb. 6, breaking the 1975 record of -18 for that day. The week of Feb. 6 in Kalispell was one of the coldest periods on record in Montana.
3.11
Inches of rainfall in Kalispell in mid-June, the second most pre- cipitation on record in any 72-hour period in the city’s history.
$3.61
Average price per gallon of gasoline in April.
$2.24
Price per gallon in Kalispell in December.
345,000
Total skier visits at Whitefish Mountain Resort from Dec. 2013 through April 2014, the most on record for the resort and a 7 percent increase over the previous season.
and serve the rest of Downey’s term. In November, Mark Peck was elected to replace Berget and will represent Libby for six years.
Max Baucus: Veteran Democratic U.S. Sen. Max Baucus stunned the state and national political worlds when he announced that he would not run for re-election, and then threw another political haymaker when he was unanimously confirmed to become the next U.S. ambassador to China, a dip- lomatic plum capping his nearly 40-year career in Congress, 36 of which he spent in the Senate, mak- ing him the longest-serving senator from Montana and one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. his- tory. To many, the nomination was as surprising as the retirement, particularly given the way in which it shuffled the political deck chairs in Washington. It gave Gov. Steve Bullock the rare opportunity to ap- point a successor, which he found in his Lieutenant Governor, John Walsh, who suddenly had the power of incumbency in his unsuccessful run to defend the Senate seat from freshman U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, who in the end handily won. On Capitol Hill, Baucus was best known for his role as longtime chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, a perch from which he crafted major legislation that over- hauled health care, tax policy and the federal budget, as well as for his reputation as a centrist dealmaker.
North Fork Watershed Protection Act: More than four decades after local conservation groups began efforts to protect the North Fork of the Flat- head River from energy development, Montana’s congressional delegation inched a bill to furnish per- manent protections on the pristine watershed over the finish line. The North Fork Watershed Protec- tion Act was signed into law Dec. 19, and bans future mining and drilling on 383,267 acres of federal land in the North Fork. The bill and seven other Montana land bills were attached to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, and supporters said the rare bipartisan collaboration and tireless local sup- port of the measure is symbolic of a strong conserva- tion legacy in the Crown of the Continent.
Elections: Republicans scored a stunning electoral rout in the Nov. 4 midterm elections, wresting con- trol of the U.S. Senate after an acrimonious campaign season in which voters’ frustration with Washington gridlock and an unpopular president manifested it- self in sweeping GOP victories nationally and across the state. In Montana and the Flathead Valley, state legislative and county commissioner races followed the same trend, and when the dust settled, the vic- tors emerged with policy agendas and pledges to push back against the political current by focusing on policy rather than politicking. Montana’s 64th Legislature convenes Jan. 5.
Richard Spencer: A prominent white nationalist who has been living in Whitefish in relative obscu- rity while promoting his views on the Internet drew the ire of locals who petitioned the city council to institute a nondiscrimination ordinance aimed at groups like the National Policy Institute, Richard Spencer’s think-tank that is headquartered in the ski resort town. At a Nov. 17 council meeting, residents turned out in droves as more than 100 people packed the council chambers to decry Spencer’s residen- cy and voice support for an ordinance prohibiting groups like NPI from converging on the communi-
1.7 MILLION
Visitors to Glacier National Park between June and August, the most ever for the summer season in the park.
2.32 MILLION
Visitors to Glacier Park from Janu- ary through November, surpassing the all-time yearly record of 2.2 million.
700,000
Visitors to Glacier Park in July, the most on record for any month in the park.